


Winter Walk

by altairisbae



Category: ONEUS (Band)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Hot Chocolate, Walks In The Park, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23351722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/altairisbae/pseuds/altairisbae
Summary: Leedo and his girlfriend enjoy a peaceful winter day together.
Relationships: Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Original Character(s), Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Reader
Kudos: 6





	Winter Walk

It was rare of me to be so excited about the thought of spending the day outside. Especially a short, cold, winter one. But well, today was one of those rare days and I almost couldn't wait to finally set out into the snow-covered city. 

The reason behind my excitement wasn't the outside itself, of course. There was little to be excited about the grey winter of where I lived. It wasn't that I hated the coldest of seasons - I actually found it to be incredibly charming and breathtaking in its own way. But not the poor excuse of a winter that Seoul offered these past few years, which was mostly wet, grey, dirty and not at all like all those beautiful movie settings one can't help but stare at in wonder.

So no, I'd rather enjoy the few charms that winter offered for my city from the warmth of my cozy bed, sleeping the day away. But today, I was gonna go outside and enjoy the Christmas Fair that happened in the city center each year for as long as I could remember. And for the first time, I wouldn't be spending it alone. No, I wasn't going to be the third wheel for one of my friends, or look like loser, wandering around totally alone. Because this year, I could count on the, very convenient, privilege of having a boyfriend.

It was precisely my boyfriend who was the reason why I got up unreasonably early for me on a Saturday, took way too long wondering what I should wear, as if any of my efforts would be visible under the puffy winter jacket the current conditions forced me to wear everyday.

The fair wouldn't be in its full power until later in the afternoon, but I was meeting up with Geonhak earlier, wanting to use all the time I could with him, not taking it for granted with how busy his schedule as an idol could get. 

After getting ready a full hour before the set meeting time, I was getting extremely bored, not able to focus on anything else than my fantasies of how the day would go, how my boyfriend would look like, what he was doing at the moment and why the hell did I not choose an earlier hour for us to meet up.

I battled with myself for a bit and finally decided to pull out my phone and chose his contact from the relatively short contact list.  
  
13:13 You: hey, do you think you can show up any earlier??

I hit the send button and stared at the screen, waiting for it to display a response from him already, while chewing a bit on the skin surrounding my thumb nail. It arrived sooner than expected.

13:15 Caveman: Yeah, probably. Why?

13:15 You: it's just that i got ready faster than i expected and now i'm bored :/

He didn't respond for a few minutes, making me feel guilty for being so selfish and inconsiderate and annoying, but then I saw his - long awaited - response.

13:22 Caveman: I'll be under your apartment in 15 minutes. That okay?

13:22 You: perfect 

I smiled at my phone and then put it in the pocket of my jeans, getting up to check my appearance for the final time before I head out. Deciding that I looked not worse than he's used to, I started putting on my warm, high-heeled winter boots and my puffy jacket, before slipping on my gloves and putting on a hat that never seemed to work with my head shape, making it either perk up too much on the back, or ride down my eyes too low. Making it work somehow, I grabbed my earlier prepared bag and left my apartment, closing the door behind me and heading for the elevator.

When I was outside the block, I checked the time, noting that, assuming Geonhak was gonna be perfectly punctual, he still had 6 minutes left. I sighed, watching my breath become a little cloud, disappearing as fast as it appeared. 

It wasn't quite freezing, but it was still definitely a December afternoon, and I put my palms under my armpits, basically cuddling myself for some more, much needed, warmth. I was almost always cold, no matter the season, so winters were definitely rougher for me than for a regular person in that department.

With 2 minutes still remaining, I noticed his car pull up, stopping not far from me. I crossed the distance between me and the vehicle on my slightly numb legs, smiling wide for him, even though he was too busy making sure his parking job was good enough.

Deciding that it indeed was, he shut the engine off and got out, as we decided to move around on foot today, rather than driving around. Well, I did, and he graciously agreed. He looked up at me for the first time, his face partially covered by a mask, as he slammed the door and used his keys to lock it safe. I was by his side already when he was putting it in the pocket of his long, dark coat, made out of a material that I couldn't and didn't care to try to name. He didn't have gloves, a scarf or a hat on, but it was probably not cold enough for him to need those.

"Hi" I said, putting my arms around him in a tight embrace, which he welcomed, putting his own, much stronger than my own, arms around me, pulling me close to him.

"Hello" he answered in his beautiful deep voice, as he drew back, one hand going to my own, making itself at home, while he used the other to briefly rub my chin between his fingers affectionately. "Ready to go?" he asked, as he put his hand down from my face.

"Yeah, let's go" I answered, starting to walk, pulling on his hand a bit in encouragement.

"Do you still want to go get that hot chocolate before we go to the fair or did you change your mind?" he inquired after a moment, stepping beside me, trying to match his pace with mine as to not leave me behind and very annoyed.

I thought about my answer for a second. Did I still want to go to there? Yeah, but we had more time on our hands to kill before the fair really started now, so why not use it a bit more?

"Well, yeah, I do want that hot chocolate, but how about we just go for a little walk before that? You know, in that park close to the fair place, where you go cycling?" I suggested, remembering how pretty that place was, despite being surrounded by typical city scenery, which wasn't unappealing, just not the right setting for the perfect romantic stroll I had envisioned.

"Sure, I don't mind" he said, turning his head a bit to look at me for a moment before redirecting his gaze onto the sidewalk again.

It didn't take us long to get to our destination and soon our little stroll was accompanied by much more pleasing visuals. The snow in the park wasn't dirty like the one on the streets, as there were no cars here. So this little park was the one bit of the city that actually kind of looked like the winter wonderland out of a Tumblr post.

"It's so pretty here" I commented quietly, my eyes roaming on the snow-covered trees, the children playing in the snow, the light decorated lamps, not yet glowing, since it was only around 2 p.m., but giving an idea of how it would make the setting even more gorgeous. The grey sky didn't even bother me, it kind of even suited the scene, white on grey, so monotone, but so beautiful. 

"What was that?" he asked, coming a bit closer,lowering his head a bit, not having heard my remark.

"I said it's pretty here" I told him, watching his face, as some kid ran past us, laughing at something, followed by a few of what must have been his friends. They looked like the poster children of innocent fun on a snowy day.

Geonhak looked around the park, taking in the same sight that I did previously and nodded slightly. "Yeah. It is." He squeezed my glove covered palm a bit as we continued on walking forward, with no set goal in mind.

After a few more minutes of walking in a comfortable silence, enjoying the views and seeing many more children busy enjoying themselves in the snow, I decided to break that silence and get something off my mind.

"Do you sometimes miss being a kid?" I asked, gaze locked on another pair of children we came across, who happened to be building a snowman and failing miserably at it, much to the amusement of their mom, who was sitting on a bench, watching them with pure affection in her eyes.

Geonhak looked at me and then followed my gaze, seeing the adorable scene that prompted me to ask the sudden question. I could tell that he smiled a bit, despite the mask he was wearing.

"I guess, a little. I definitely didn't appreciate all the free time for playing enough. I would kill for more of that right now" he joked, only half-serious.

I smiled up at him as we passed the bench the mother of those two kids was resting on.

"But you probably wouldn't use that time to build a snowman or play hide-and-seek in the park now" I said, trying to get to my point.

He wondered for a bit. "Probably" he said finally. "But who knows, maybe if I had free time to kill every day, I would. Hard to tell. What about you?" he glanced at me, curious. "I'm guessing you do miss childhood, since you asked that."

"I do" I admitted. "It's not even just about the playing part, or the free time" I continued. "It's just that... everything was so much easier as a kid, wasn't it? Every day could be exciting. Everyone could be a friend and every new thing you discovered was like magic."

Geonhak looked at me, not stopping, his eyebrows drawn and a small smile changing the shape of his eyes.

"That's kind of idealizing it" he countered. "I definitely do not remember it as all sunshine and rainbows, as much as everyone likes to talk about how worry-free of a time it was. " 

"Well, sure, but if you could go back, knowing how life is later on, wouldn't it basically be worry-free, putting things into perspective?" I asked, still having yet to put my point across. 

He made a face and tilted his head a bit. "But would that still be me being a kid?

I made a weird movement with my free hand, as we were nearing a little bridge over a now frozen pond, determined in trying to make him see what I was talking about.

"Okay, let me put it in another way. Wouldn't you like to kind of rewind your brain? To not know some things?" 

He seemed puzzled as to what the hell I was getting at. 

So I continued. "I mean like not being aware of all the sad shit about the world. Not being aware of racism, sexism, all the isms. Or how the society works, you could just not care. How easy and happy could life be then?" 

He took in what I said, stopping by the handrail of the bridge, somewhere around its middle point. We both leaned on our elbows, close to each other as we gazed upon the park from up there. 

"I definitely get your point, or I think I do at least. But don't you think that would be living a lie?" 

"I mean, yeah, but you wouldn't know the difference."

He shook his head slightly. 

"And doesn't that kind of freak you out? The idea of living in basically a bubble? Not aware of reality? 

"Should it? If it meant I could ignore all the bad bits of that reality?" I questioned. He looked lost in thought for a minute, before looking at me and grabbing my hand again. 

"I just think there's greater value in truth. And in getting through our reality despite all those bad bits." he said, squeezing my hand, and pulling on it, letting me know he wants to continue our stroll. 

It was later and darker than I expected by the time we got to the cafe. I got in quickly, excited to be in a place with heating after a long walk like that. The warmth was so pleasant on my face, that I felt like I could cry any second. I went to get us seats, while Geonhak went to place our order of two hot chocolates, which this place was famous for in wintertime. 

I discarded my bag and then my jacket over the chair I chose, after having put my hat and gloves inside one of its sleeves, in a hurry to finally be seated and resting. 

By the time I got the full feeling in my face back, my boyfriend was already at our table, no mask on and with two mugs full of deliciously looking brown liquid, one in each hand. He set one of them near my end of the table and then took his seat across from me, already taking a sip of the hot chocolate and setting it in front of him.

"Is it good?" I asked, knowing I would not be able to try it on my own just yet, since I had a sensitive tongue, which would burn if I didn't let the drink cool down for a bit first. 

He nodded, taking his coat off. "Haven't had a real hot chocolate in a while" he admitted after he was done, letting me see what he was wearing underneath - a thick, grey sweater that I definitely remembered wearing once at his apartment. 

I nodded my head. "Yeah, the instant cocoa stuff doesn't really compare to the real thing" I said, raising my own mug closer to my face and then proceeding to blow some air over the surface of the hot drink in hopes to cool it a bit faster. "But I think I wouldn't enjoy it as much if it weren't Christmas time, anyway." I admitted and finally took a sip of the hot chocolate, enjoying the rich flavor spreading all over my tastebuds.

I sighed blissfully, welcoming the warm feeling the drink provided. "That is good."

He smiled at me and took another sip as I stared at him. 

"Aren't you worried about...you know?" I asked vaguely, making a circle motion, pointing at my face, commenting on his lack of face coverage.

He laughed quietly, putting his mug down. "Am I that ugly?" he joked.

I tilted my face and looked at him pointedly. "You know what I mean" I responded, only a little bit amused.

He shrugged, looking around the cafe. "It's dark out already and the crowd here at the moment doesn't really look like it'd care."

I followed his gaze and took in the cafe fully. He was right. The cafe was mostly empty, due to the fair, supposedly, and the few people that were in here looked old enough to be either my parents or grandparents. Probably not the age group to post a pic of a spotted idol on social media. 

"Point taken. Guess we got lucky" I said, smiling again. I was surprised when he agreed to go here with me in the first place, and now we actually both got to enjoy the exquisite hot chocolate with little worry over ending up as Dispatch's next scandal.

"Even if a fan were here," he started, making my eyes go back to his, "they might not recognize me" he finished, pointing to his, now, blonde hair, a bit wavy and messy due to the conditions of our longer-than-expected walk.

I giggled, looking at his hair, still not fully used to how light it was, especially compared to his natural, very dark, hair color. He had it dyed blonde for the upcoming comeback, and I couldn't say it wasn't a good look on him. It contrasted with his dark eyes beautifully, I had to admit. The team at RBW knew what they were doing.

We finished our drinks, enjoying the cozy atmosphere of the cafe and being able to rest before setting out into the cold again. Every little now and then, one of us would make a comment about something in the cafe or on the part of the outside we could see from the window next to our table. But for the most part, we sat there in a comfortable silence, listening to the Christmas music playing softly in the background, sipping on the chocolate. We both weren't talkers, especially not in public, opting to just enjoy each other's company peacefully.

When we were done, I was rested enough to continue our little adventure. I put on my winter attire, watching as he did the same, finishing with putting his face mask back on securely over his ears. Then he held out his hand for me to take and we stepped out of the cafe together, welcoming the cold wind again, the outside now much darker and lit up by those nicely decorated street lamps, setting the perfect mood for the Christmas Fair.

Thankfully, it wasn't far from where we were, and when we got there in the next few minutes, I could tell we picked the perfect time. It was almost in its full power, all attractions open and running, but not quite too crowded to get in just yet.

"Where do you want to check out first?" I asked Geonhak, turning my face to him slightly, pointing at all the different rows of wooden booths.

He lowered his head to mine, not hearing me correctly through the noise of the gathering crowd. "What was that?"

I put my mouth to his ear, and asked the same question again, a bit louder.

He shrugged in response, straightening back up. "Don't have a preference. You lead the way" he suggested, knowing that I definitely had a place in mind already.

I liked to go through the booths in a certain order, starting from the row on the far left, making my way through all the other rows until I finished on the opposite side, closest to the way I had to take back to my house, so I didn't have to unnecessarily squeeze through excited crowds.

"Okay, let's start there then" I told him, pulling on our joined hands, leading us to our starting point.

The fair was full of booths selling handmade decorations, artsy gifts and Christmas candies and snacks. The air was warm from all the people passing by and smelled amazing thanks to all the food that was being displayed or even cooked inside some of the stalls.

The first booth I stopped us at was one offering what they called 'winter tea'. If the smell surrounding the stall was anything to go by, it was going to be delicious.

Geonhak looked up at me when I stopped, following my gaze to the tea stall, quickly pulling out his wallet and dragging me closer to the little booth and telling the old lady working there that we'd like two cups. I squeezed his hand in a small thanks, not bothering to argue to buy my own. We were comfortable with each other and together long enough that it didn't matter.

We got our paper cups full of the warm, fragrant liquid and we were back on our way through the fair, as we tried the tea, which tasted a lot of some spices and honey with a hint of citrus. Basically, it tasted exactly what I imagined a winter tea would taste like.

My boyfriend didn't enjoy it though, complaining that his must have been made too strong or something, taking only a few sips before handing his cup to me to try, when I'd already finished my own. It was not, in fact, made wrong, it was the same as mine. I laughed at his face, full of distaste, as he watched me drink from his cup.

"How can you drink that?" he asked, "It tastes like a Christmas candle."

I laughed at him before taking another sip. "It tastes like it should - a winter tea."

He wasn't convinced, but he just shook his head, taking my hand back in his and directing his eyes onto the other booths we were passing by. He was the one to stop us at a stall selling some savory snacks, which looked mostly like meat. The smell confirmed my theory and I scrunched my nose at the pungent smell.

"How is that a Christmas food?" I questioned, looking at the pieces of marinated and grilled meat with other stuff like vegetables put in orded onto thin wooden sticks, forming rows of skewers

"No excuse needed to sell some meat" he replied, dragging me close to the display pulling out his wallet once again, as I parted from him for a second to discard the empty paper cups into a bin full of those wooden sticks, dirtied with the meat marinate and grease, next to the stall.

"Do you want one?" he asked, pulling out some money, glancing at me from the colourful arrangements of meats and veggies, as I returned to his side.

"Nah, I'm good" I told him, not at all interested in the skewers and saving the space in my stomach for what I knew was still to come - actual Christmas foods.

He nodded, not surprised, and ordered one for himself, paying the guy behind the temporary counter. He picked the one he liked the best and got it handed to him on a paper plate with some napkins. We thanked the man and moved on from his stall. I hid my hands in the pockets of my jacket, not knowing what to do with them as we walked, when Geonhak had his own busy with the plate and the snack.

When he was finished, he wiped his mouth with the napkins, threw his trash into a nearby bin and stuck out his hand for me to grab and pulled me a bit closer to him, making more room for other passing people.

We didn't stop at any booth for a while, instead watching them from afar, admiring the beautiful decorations displayed all over them, ranging from Christmas tree decorations to big figures that would look incredible on one's porch. What I found the most interesting were packets of what was described as "mystery gifts", ranging in price and size, promising to contain Christmas goodies worth twice of what you paid. We both agreed that although it sounded fun, we would never buy it as a gift for someone.

The last row of the stalls was where we spent the most time, as it was the one filled with true Christmas snacks and sweets, and I was starving, not having eaten anything since we set out in the early afternoon. That left me free to stuff myself with all the food I wanted from the fair, as I saw it.

Firstly, we had some delicious gingerbread, still a bit warm and decorated beautifully with various shapes made of colourful frosting. Then we had some traditional Korean Christmas foods like bulgogi, which Geonhak enjoyed in particular. Next were some rice cakes with various fruits, which were so much better than those you can buy at a store, and some steamed pears with a sweet sauce, which I didn't enjoy at all and let Geonhak have after he devoured his own.

The last stall we visited was one with red bean paste filled cakes. I still had some space left in my belly, but not much, so I asked my boyfriend to share one with me, to which he graciously agreed.

We walked out of the fair, still enjoying the cake, him holding the paper plate and both of us reaching with our plastic forks to take a piece at a time.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked suddenly, digging into the cake once again, taking a bit too much onto his fork, but I let it slide, not knowing how much more I could eat myself.

"Yeah, I did. The fair is always fun. Has a certain vibe to it" I answered, swallowing a bite.

He nodded in agreement, taking another bite himself., finishing the cake. "It sure does. I haven't felt such a Christmas spirit in a while" he admitted, as he discarded the paper plate and our forks into a trashcan we happened to be passing. "It's nice" he finished.

"It is."

We were back at my apartment complex very soon and I laughed at him looking at his reflection in the elevator, seeing how his hair looked for the first time since we left. He certainly wasn't pleased.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he whined, brushing his fingers through his messy locks, trying to tame them into a smooth hairstyle once again, but not succeeding.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Looks good to me" I said, smiling wide, watching his adorable struggle. He only sighed and gave up, just as the elevator door opened, and we walked out, hand in hand.

When we were inside my apartment, having got rid of our jackets and wet shoes, Geonhak went to the bathroom while I walked inside my living room, switching the lights and the electric fireplace on. The modern building didn't have actual traditional fireplaces, but the one I had installed offered some illusion of one. It certainly heated the place well enough, given some time.

My hands, legs and face were really cold so I sat on my carpet, close to the fireplace, as Geonhak stepped into the room. He looked at me, hugging myself on the floor, and smiled fondly.

"Cold?" he asked, strolling over and sitting beside me.

"Clearly."

He never stopped smiling as he laid down on the soft carpet and pulled me by my arm, encouraging me to do the same. I didn't mind in the slightest. I put my head on his chest, wrapping my arm loosely around his form, as he used one of his as a makeshift pillow and the other he wrapped under me and used it to pull me closer to him.

"Did you have fun today?" I asked with my eyes closed, feeling the exhaustion of the day set in. "I don't think I asked you yet."

I listened to his heartbeat and his calm breathing before he answered. "Yeah, I did. Like I said, I haven't felt such a festive spirit for a long time. And I enjoyed spending a peaceful day like that with you" he said, before he giggled. "Even if you choose the weirdest of times to get philosophical on me" he laughed at me.

I used the hand that was on his chest to pinch his arm in an act of annoyance. "How is a peaceful day not a time to get all philosophical and weird?" I joked, showing him that I'm not actually at all offended by his teasing.

"I guess" he replied simply, neither of us feeling the need to dwell on it with how tired out we were from basically walking all day.

"You're warm" I commented, snuggling even closer to his side. He rubbed my back and bent his head a bit to kiss me on the top of the head in response, clearly enjoying my affection.

I don't know when I started to drift off, but all I remember is him singing quietly by my ear in that deep voice of his and then I was being carried to what was presumably my bedroom.

Then all I could make out was blissful warmth and quiet as I dozed off, thanking whatever led me to where I was right now - in the safe and warm embrace of Geonhak's arms.


End file.
